Yreka High School girls basketball: Culp new Lady Miners B-ball coach

Thursday

Jun 27, 2013 at 9:52 AMJun 27, 2013 at 9:57 AM

Bill Choy

Curly Culp already is deep in preparation for the girls basketball season at Yreka High School.Culp, who was recently named the Lady Miners girls varsity basketball head coach, is taking team members to camps throughout the summer to help them be ready when basketball season rolls around this winter. The squad recently took part in a camp in Chico and have another camp this weekend.And the team is having open gyms as well as shooting camps throughout the summer at Yreka High"Our goal is to work hard and be disciplined," Culp said. He added that he wants his team to play smart basketball with tough defense, limited turnovers and be a group that is patient and takes good shots.Culp was encouraged by how the girls fared against top-notch competition at the Chico camp and said he was extremely proud of how they performed. The more the Lady Miners play larger schools and tougher competition the more it will help them step up their game, he said. "They were competitive in every game against larger schools," Culp said. "It was encouraging to see them playing so well. It was a great experience for us.""I feel that the sooner we are on the floor before the season begins, the better prepared we'll be," Culp added.For Culp, who was the head JV coach last year, getting the girls ready for the season ahead is of upmost importance to him. Even if his team loses, if they gave it their maximum effort and had fun during a game he said that he would be fine with it.Culp replaces Ken Dysert, who recently resigned as girls varsity basketball coach at Yreka.Culp has a long history with the basketball program at Yreka High.He was a standout hoops player for Yreka, class of 1974, and went on to play basketball on the community college level.Culp, who owns his own construction company in town, said that he loves the area and Yreka High and is dedicated to doing his part to help the youth of the community."I want to make memories that will last forever," he said. "I think playing sports offers so many life lessons."Culp has previously been an assistant and head coach with both the Miner girls and boys hoops programs. This is his first time as head coach of a varsity team.Culp likes the potential of his team for the upcoming hoops season"They are improving," he said. "They are eager to play."Culp believes that the team has the ability and skill set to be competitive in the always challenging Northern Athletic League. Last season, the squad finished 12-14 overall and 1-7 in the NAL and earned a playoff berth."If we play to our abilities and give our best effort, the score will take care of itself," Cup said.